NBC Taps Steve Kornacki for Midterm Q&A Before Election Day

NBC News is inviting readers to submit questions for Steve Kornacki, the network's chief data analyst, who will answer a selection of them in a video Q&A posted Monday, according to NBC News. Election Day is just over a week away, the network said in its announcement.

How can readers submit a question to Kornacki?

NBC News is collecting questions through a submission form embedded in its original article, with no stated topic restriction beyond the midterms. The network has not published a deadline for submissions beyond the Monday posting date for the Q&A video, per NBC News.

What is 'The Data Dive' newsletter?

Kornacki has been publishing a subscriber newsletter called "The Data Dive" every Tuesday morning, breaking down polling, turnout and demographic trends ahead of the midterms, NBC News said. The Monday Q&A video will extend that format by letting subscribers pose questions directly rather than wait for the weekly write-up.

When and where will the Q&A be available?

The video Q&A is scheduled to post Monday and will be available only to NBC News subscribers, according to the network's announcement. NBC News did not specify a run time or list which questions, if any, had already been selected as of the Oct. 23 posting.

Why is NBC turning to Kornacki now?

Kornacki built a following during live election-night broadcasts for his work at the network's data board, tracking county-by-county returns in real time. Folding reader questions into his pre-election coverage gives NBC News a way to surface voter curiosity — about turnout models, battleground states or historical comparisons — before ballots are counted rather than after.

What to watch heading into the midterms

• Whether NBC News publishes a transcript or summary of the Q&A for non-subscribers after it airs Monday.
• How Kornacki's data-board analysis on election night compares with the questions subscribers raised beforehand.
• Turnout and polling trends flagged in upcoming editions of "The Data Dive" as Election Day nears, per NBC News.
• Whether other networks follow with similar subscriber-facing Q&A formats tied to their own data analysts.

NBC News gave no additional detail on how many questions Kornacki is expected to address or whether the format will recur after this election cycle. The network's announcement, dated Oct. 23, framed the Q&A as a one-time subscriber benefit tied to the final stretch before voting ends.